Sow Permaculture

A Note About Our Course

About the readings

This course is designed for both the beginner, intermediate, and advanced student. We provide required readings for each weekend. We strongly encourage you to do the readings. If the required readings aren’t in-depth enough for your current level of understanding or if you have already read the required books, then ask for further suggestions! Please ask to borrow books from either of us and/or ask us about specific topics you would like to explore.

About the Sessions

Please come prepared each weekend with the required books, a water bottle, sturdy work clothes appropriate for the weather, and an open inclusive attitude. (We expect that as a given for this crowd!) We’ll be going at an intermediate pace, pausing to answer questions, and we want each of you to feel that you can ask any question. We plan to do more working and designing than talking. The readings are meant to prepare you for each session.

We want to provide you with as much HANDS ON experience as we can to help you on your journey and to develop your skill set. Your intuition will kick in when you start working with living systems (as likely many of you have experienced), and from there, your potential for designing and creating will be limitless. In addition to teaching you specific techniques, we want to help you hone into the skill of connecting and intuitively designing in concert with nature.

About the design component

In each session we will be giving you design tools and allowing you to practice analyzing, planning, sketching, and justifying in group charrettes. You may want to take home concept designs and practice rendering techniques, or you may pick other sites that interest you and try your hand at designing. By session 3, you should have a site in mind for your final concept design.

About Certification

To receive your certification, you will need to complete a concept design and present it to your peers and teachers. If all criteria are met, you will receive a Certificate of Design. We will provide everyone with the criteria and a rubric once the course has begun. Even if you do not want to be a designer for a living, practicing drafting & design is good for any permaculturalist.

We will be available to meet with each of you individually along the way to review your concept designs and to help you make sure you feel you are adequately meeting the criteria.​